News Release
May 27, 2009
Siegal named County Teacher of Year
“My ultimate goal is for [students] to feel safe enough to express their ideas in a classroom environment that is absolutely scholarly, but also open and playful…As the needs of classes vary, I have to adapt my delivery, but not the content. It is always a collaborative effort, and if I am diligent, prepared, reasonable, animated, and engaged with my students, that is what they reflect back to me…
“…In an overzealous drive to raise test scores, students are often confronted with an impersonal, uninspiring, mechanical environment which reinforces the lament that school is not about learning, but competing. I propose a student-centered, humane learning environment wherein students are ‘seen’ in their varied competencies…and offered a classroom culture that is inclusive, authentic, and stimulating because that is the true and noble purpose of public education, rather than winnowing the weak.” —Diane Siegal
Diane Siegal, a ninth and eleventh grade English teacher for nine years at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, was named 2009-10 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made by County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone at the annual Teachers Network Education Celebration, slated to start at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27 at the Santa Ynez Marriott in Buellton.
Siegal, one of a number of outstanding countywide nominees for the honor, was selected by a committee including representatives of teachers, administrators, PTA members, and the county school board. Distinguished Educators were also named and will be announced at the June board meeting.
Superintendent Cirone expressed congratulations for Siegal’s professionalism, enthusiasm, creativity, and remarkable successes in the classroom and in the community.
Siegal earned her bachelor of arts degree in English, and her teaching credential and her master of arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
She first worked as a teacher of English in Japan and then served as chairman of the board of directors of the Starr King Parent Child workshop. She has been teaching English at Santa Ynez High since 2001.
She has served as faculty advisor for Santa Ynez High’s Mock Trial team, took part in an intensive language academy in Costa Rica, studied abroad at the University of Valencia in Spain, and was a competitive cyclist in Osaka, Japan. She has won recognition as Educator of the Month from Montecito Bank & Trust, and was awarded C.E.O. New Chapter award and Outstanding Adult Advisor awards from People to People International. She is community liaison for Achievement/Risk/Challenge (ARC) leadership and literacy program at Santa Ynez High, has raised money for the Jesse Rohde Foundation Community Medical Clinic in Ghana, and has her class do projects to support Heifer International. She also was part of Critical Friends Professional Development Collaborative Group under the direction of a Disney Distinguished National Teacher of the Year.
Currently she is developing a school-wide service model in conjunction with the school’s leadership team and was recently a testimonial speaker at the formal installment ceremony of newly appointed Judge Kay Kuns.
Wrote Principal Suzanne Nicastro: “We could not ask for a more qualified representative of our school or a candidate more worthy of this honor. Diane…works with all levels of English students from Honors and College Prep to English Language Learners…Diane’s students are quick to see her as someone who truly cares. They respect the fact that she will not allow them to give her class anything less than their best…Diane is a master teacher who models excellence in all areas of instruction…Over the years, Diane has contributed greatly to the concept of Service Learning on our campus…Perhaps the best word I can use to describe Diane Siegal is ‘professional.’ She is articulate, organized, and holds a passionate commitment for learning.”
Wrote colleague and former County Teacher of the Year Chris Mullen: “…If ever there were a personification of a calling to education it would look like Diane…Combining her love of the stage with her disarming mothering qualities, she breaks down the barriers of student isolation and enables each student to find his/her voice. She has incredible respect for every child in the classroom and can instinctively meet each one where he/she needs to be met. Put simply, students of all backgrounds trust her. She is a refreshing and genuine combination of safe haven and theme park rolled into one. Outside of the classroom, she is no less dedicated to making the world a place she can be proud of…Bringing together a wide assortment of students, many of whom are consumed with heavy academic and sports workloads, she has been able to instill in them a sense of and love for service to community…Diane has also opened doorways for a great many at-risk and English Language developing teens…She is joyful, knowledgeable and passionate about her content…She has a genuine respect for each as an individual…She reminds all of us who may grow weary of the day to day challenges we face that what we need to do is not less, but more.”
Wrote former colleague Connie Rohde-Stanchfield: “Diane’s teaching is larger than the classroom and larger than the English or ELD curriculum. Diane’s scope of culture, of intellect, of what is possible in students, in the school community, and in the world is immense. She can communicate and connect with a wide range of people at any given time, and in two languages as well…If only all of California might teach at her level of intellectual depth, on-task content, communication competency, self-awareness, student interactions, and creativity…But perhaps more than all of those important qualities is Diane’s unrelenting, deep, compassionate humanity.”
Wrote former student Miles Freeman: “Diane Siegal has been a teacher, a mentor, and a friend to me…She taught me many things about literature and Mock Trial, but she also inspired me and many of my peers to consistently seek to perform better both in school and outside of it…Ms. Siegal made it a point to make herself available outside of class to help students with assignments, projects, or even day-to-day problems of life. She was always willing to help us refine both our work and ourselves…Diane Siegal is a tireless individual who works not only to teach, but also to inspire, motivate, and cultivate potential. Her actions and personality have had a profound effect on my high school experience as well as my outlook on the future.”
Siegal’s nomination will next be reviewed for consideration as California Teacher of the Year in the fall. The California winner will then proceed into consideration for 2010 National Teacher of the Year.
As Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year, Siegal will be available to speak countywide, and can be reached at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, 688-6487, or at the County Education Office, by calling Petti Pfau at 964-4710, ext. 5281.